Longfellow Elementary School

715 Highland Avenue

School District

Oak Park Esd 97
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:10
Type

public

School Map for Oak Park Esd 97 School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on November 11, 2024

Three of my children attended this school & it was terrible. I pulled them all out. There was a situation with all three of my students. The kindergarten teacher is terrible. She sits on her phone all day & will leave the kids in the class by their self. Kids that young are racist which is sad. My youngest was 4 when attending and she had a situation with another student touching her inappropriately and instead of listening to my daughter they said it was a mistake. My son was bullied and they basically did nothing but once he responded to the bully he was looked at as if he was doing the bullying.
Submitted by parent on September 29, 2023

This school would be better under different leadership. Too much turnover. Teachers are constantly leaving because of a lack of support from the principal. The principal also does not communicate effectively or consistently with parents.
Submitted by parent on December 13, 2022

Teachers are great. The principals are very much full of it. They try to play victim when confronted about their nonsense. Overall experience would be better without the 2 current principals.
Submitted by parent on October 24, 2022

Our daughter attends Longfellow Elementary School since Kindergarten. She is now in 1st grade. Our daughter loves the school, the kids, and the teachers. We also feel very well taken care of by the teachers and school leadership. Overall, a school that is caring and has strong academics.
Submitted by parent on September 14, 2022

The children that come to learn, and have supportive parents, get it done. The children and parents can't continue to ignore the rules and casually carry on with school activities. My friends children have been here for w years and they love it here. The staff, teachers, and principal seem to be great with the kids.
Submitted by parent on February 23, 2022

The teachers run this school. From a parents perspective, the principal, Amy Jefferson, did not know who my child was. Come to find out, she thought he was someone else the entire year. My son suffers from anxiety, adhd, and speech difficulties. I have never seen the principal in an IEP meeting. When I came in the school to meet with her three separate times, I was told she was out and would not be coming back. I went at 8:30am, 10:15am, and 1:40pm. The teachers can only do so much when someone is leading them without any good intentions. In our parent group, this is a normal conversation. For Oak Park being such an amazing and diverse community to live in and raise children--Parents are disgusted by the leadership at this school, with the main focus on the principal. Having black leadership is so important, as I am a proud black woman, but when it seems like the district just placed someone in the position because Dr. Kelley had a relationship with them, it negates the entire reason behind it. Here's to hoping 2022-2023 will be a better year.
Submitted by other on January 11, 2022

Lots of turnover due to poor leadership. This school functions because of its teachers, not its administration. So many teachers here are burnt out and feel unsupported. The school has lost some truly remarkable teachers in the last couple of years and more are on their way out the door.
Submitted by parent on August 06, 2021

My children have had a very positive experience at Longfellow. Their teachers have been invested and caring, and they have received the right level of academic rigor that meets their individual needs. They're given exposure to kids and teachers from a variety of backgrounds, and couple with the content in their classes, are learning to be kind, conscious citizens, ready for the real world. There has been recent turnover among the administration and while the adminstrators are still finding their footing/rapport, that hasn't had an impact on my children's day-to-day experience. For families who get involved in the Longfellow community, there is a lot to be received in return. I highly recommend Longfellow.
Submitted by parent on July 15, 2020

Overall grades provided above match what kind of school Longfellow is becoming. No support from principals and some teachers have given up or are leaving. Too much turnover within leadership and overall lack of leadership impacts teachers as well which leads to poor student performance. Longfellow is not what it used to be years ago and overall grades certainly reflect that.
Submitted by parent on February 20, 2018

Both my daughters came through Longfellow -- one was in the gifted program, one needed remediation due to learning disabilites. Both had an excellent experience. Ms. Dolezal, the principal, is a caring and supportinve administrator. So many great teachers!
Submitted by parent on April 30, 2014

We came to Longfellow in 2013 from a private school in Oak Park. I am amazed by the teaching and instruction, as well as the leadership and the support system Longfellow offered both us and our children. We have worked along side the team at Longfellow to bridge the gap in learning that needed to happen to bring our kids to where they need to be. I would highly recommend Longfellow Elementary School to any parent.
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2014

This school is AMAZING! My daughter is in the middle of her Kindergarten year and I was a bit concerned at first because she was an advanced Kindergartener (she started the year reading and adding in her head). I was quickly put to ease though when I learned that the students are broken into 5 groups for reading and math based on their knowledge so that all of the students are challenged- those just learning their letters and those who are reading books. Communication is great between the teachers, principle and parents and there is an excellent community feeling. Can't say enough about Longfellow=)
Submitted by parent on August 25, 2013

There are amazing teachers here. From the PKP on up. We have been fortunate to have many of them. Sure it's a dice roll, but it's like that at all schools and the odds are definitely in your favor here. The principal does listen but I do think the district itself is to blame for any "sweeping under the rug" issues. Disabilities, allergies are all taken seriously. Academics are amazing and the PTO does an incredible job at enrichment programs as well as creating some stellar events throughout the year to engage students and teachers. There are many opportunities for parental involvement. They love volunteers to come in and read to children, help with art class, stay in the lunch room, and help out in general. We've been there for over 5 years and I love the teachers. Any bullying is taken seriously in the school and although the aids could have been more attentive on the playground, they were all new last year. I'm not sure how much instruction they received but if an issue was brought to their attention, there was action. I love the diversity of our school & while that could be a disadvantage in some minds, it has only become a strength for the school and the community
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2013

There are some good teachers there but I took my daughters out of Longfellow and put them into private school. The aides did not enforce discipline in the school yard at lunchtime. When my daughter complained she was being hit in the yard every day the aides just said they didn't have eyes in the back of their heads. I was very disappointed that I had moved to Oak Park for the "good schools."
Submitted by parent on August 17, 2013

Academically, Longfellow is a great school. However, the current principal, Ms. Doezel, avoids conflict. If you have an issue, such as your child be bullied, or an issue with a teacher yelling at your child, she'll smile and tell you she'll look into it, but does nothing. Also, the school severely limits parental involvement. I have tried many times to be more involved, and have been given a multitude of excuses. There are some great schools in Oak Park, unless academics is your only concern, I would not choose Longfellow.
Submitted by parent on June 07, 2013

We had a wonderful experience with stellar teachers. Mrs. Ivey and Mrs. Arguello were incredibly warm, smart, talented and patient. But after 1st grade, we were out of luck. Burnt out teachers, unruly classrooms, ineffective PBIS, worksheets and videos in the classroom, and little to no challenge academically (even with the gifted and talented program). The worst part however, was the lack of discipline and intervention in schoolyard bullying. Lots of aggression on the playground with aides who told the kids "If I didn't see it, there is nothing I can do." One of my children was in a 1st grade class (different than above) with a very unhappy teacher. 13 out of 25 first graders had received detention by October. When I spoke with the principal during a scheduled appointment about the apathy in the classroom, the negative energy, and the lack of academic stimulation, she looked me straight in the eye and said, "We are aware of the problem." She offered nothing else. We purposefully moved from OP because we were so disgusted with the schools. This community has a great reputation-- but it's just that-- reputation alone doesn't educate kids in the way they need.